It's always interesting when a new product niche is developed. Suddenly something exists we consumers never though of before. For many of us, once using the new device/technology/service, we quickly grow accustomed to it being in our lives and soon wonder what we did without it.
Apple's new iPad is no exception. Though Apple would like us to think so, the iPad didn't exactly create its own niche. There were other versions of tablets and oversized portables available before. However, the iPad does such a good job of filling this unusual niche that it makes all earlier comers seem like rugged pioneers; the kind that were brave but unrefined, tough but uncultured, and hearty but unsophisticated. Somehow, the iPad manages to be sophisticated and innovative while also being easy to use and quite intuitive.
I will admit, I am a recent convert to the Apple world. I always had thought that Apple computers were some obscure, strange, isolated technological toys that thrilled only a certain narrow band of geeks. I could not have been more wrong. What I discovered is that Apple computers are largely for people like me who hate computers and don't want to have to learn anything about them in order to use them productively. With that said, I have been thrilled not to have to learn any acronyms, three-letter identifiers, code terminology, or technology terms in order to run my computer.
And that brings me to what thrills me about the iPad. I don't have to know anything to have fun on it AND be productive with it. The full screen touch pad is intuitive, easy, and actually fun. Getting around the menus and APP store is a breeze. Reading emails, surfing the Internet, organizing and viewing photos, listening to music, and reading eBooks are my favorite activities, for which life before the iPad seems distant for sure. Far distant.
However, there are some things the iPad frustratingly doesn't do: namely, play Flash video. For a complicated explanation as to why, one can read found Steve Job's very technical comments on the Apple website. I, for one, remain unconvinced. If there are solid technical reasons not to play Flash based videos, then please offer us an alternative instead of those annoying question mark icons. Also, it is a little difficult to get the iPad to text. There are Apps for it, but they are not smooth. Finally, the PDF readers are limited, and it is not as functional as a Kindle or Sony reader when it comes to printing noted items or highlighted sections. It is also difficult to grab many of the free books out there and make them readable in anything other than a PDF format. And one more finally: you can't print from the iPad. I know, one can email themselves and then print from their computer later, but this is an unnecessary pain.
I predict that competition from the marketplace will advance this "Pad" technology over the next five years to the point where someone will provide all these annoyingly missing features. That will be a sweet time, indeed. But until then, the iPad is still one of the most fun toys you could get, and in many cases will allow you to travel without your laptop.
If you've got the money, I'd recommend anteing up and getting one. You will thoroughly enjoy it. Just don't expect it to replace any piece of technology you already own. It will simply become a new niche you can't live without!
